Plant Spacing in raised beds?

14 years ago

I'd like to know from those of you raised bed gardeners, how do you space your veggie plants? Are they spaced closer then those you would plant in open rows? How close can I plant peppers, eggplant, cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, summer squash, etc.

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Comments (6)

aloha10
14 years ago
I have growing veggies in 4! X 8! raised beds for about 15 years. many mistakes were made initially. I will give you some advice based only upon my own experiences....can't vouch for them in all circumstances, Firstly, any space saving is usually accomplished by cutting the distance between rows not between plants. Since you are not walking on the beds, you don't need "paths". I have cut space between plants and suffered the consequences of more plant diseases and other conditions affecting growth. Tomatoes are still 20-22 inches apart, cukes. 12", summer squash in hills of four with adequate spacing as the envelope recommends. I do cheat successfully with leaf crops. Lettuce, chard, kale, etc. can be squeezed in more closely if you fertilize properly, mulch and pick regularly. I grow most of my leaf crops under a floating row cover which gives me catalog picture results. My pole and bush beans are planted 3" apart in a double staggered row. I get twice the yield with no discernible problems of overcrowding. My October planted garlic is planted 4 inches apart over the entire 4 X 8 bed as are my shallots. I would recommend that you pick up a copy of any one of several books at your local library written by John Jeavons. His advice has been as helpful to me as I hope these few suggetions may be to you.
Happy gardening.
ribbit32004
14 years ago
You could also check out square foot gardening. There's a form on here that talks about it and the FAQ has info on spacing.
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ruthieg__tx
14 years ago
My beds are about 4 feet wide and I have 3 rows of veggies in each bed or what equates to 3 rows. I will plant more or less to take advantage of every bit of space...Here's a typical spring bed.... I would just as soon have a lettuce plant filling in spaces as have a place for a weed to grow so I fill in all the nooks and cranny's and any space I can find that will handle a few seeds.

first and second row equals ...green onions....(scallions)
first planted about two inches apart...harvesting at every other one and allowing the rest to grow...I do onions around the edges of every bed...width and length...then if there is any space between the early stuff like the onions and peas for instance...I'll toss in some lettuce seed or some radish seed or something like kale...No empty spaces in my beds. I try to maintain a reasonable space between the main plants in each bed so they are not over crowded but I do things like I space the onions about 2 or 3 inches apart and when I start harvesting...I pick every other one and leave the middle one to grow large...
----------------------------------------------------------
Onions..O..O...O..O..O..O..O..O...O..O..O..O..O..O..O..O.O
Onions....O..O...O..O..O..O..O..O...O..O..O..O..O..O..O..O
O ..space for sprinkling seeds like lettuce..............O
O ..space for sprinkling seeds like lettuce..............O
O..Peas Peas Peas Peas Peas Peas Peas..O
O......Peas Peas Peas Peas Peas Peas ..O
O ..space for sprinkling seeds like radish's.............O
O ..space for sprinkling seeds like radish's.............O
Onions..O..O...O..O..O..O..O..O...O..O..O..O..O..O..O..O.O
Onions....O..O...O..O..O..O..O..O...O..O..O..O..O..O..O..O

If you have beds, it is important to never step in your beds...they will be as soft and cushiony as any plant could want. I occasionally dig something into mine with a fork but the beauty of raised beds is that you never have to disturb your beautiful soil. If I grow beans, when it is time to remove them...I tug on them and leave as much of the root system as possible...I love my raised beds...Obviously my little chart on the right end didn't work so well but the onions go on both ends of the bed...
tammysf
14 years ago
I have 2 4x12 beds (one wood and one cinderblock) and grow my tomatoes 2ft apart

I am also growing melon, zucchini, pepper, beans, arugala

Here is a link that might be useful: raised garden beds
m_lorne
14 years ago
Really depends on what you are trying to accomplish and how much watering you want to do. If your aim is to grow sheer quantity, then closer spacing is the way to go. Google "Square Foot Gardening" or "French Intensive Gardening" and you will have a wealth of information.

However, if you are looking for fewer, larger veggies, then give them space. This also helps if you don't want to have to water them constantly. Closer spacing means more watering and more fertilizing. Give the roots room to expand, and they are alot more "self-sufficient".

For instance, in the Square Foot Gardening guide, spacing is as follows (per square foot):

Tomatoes: 1 / ft2 (or 12" between plants)
Broccoli: 1 / ft2 (or 12" between plants)
Onions: 16 / ft2 (or 3" between plants)
Lettuce: 4 / ft2 (or 6" between plants)
Carrots: 16 / ft2 (or 3" between plants)

My spacings are as follows:

Tomatoes: 48" between plants in a row, about 5' between rows
Broccoli: 36" between plants, about 2.5' between rows
Onions: 3" between plants, and 18" between rows
Lettuce: 6" between plants, and 24" between rows
Carrots: 3" between plants, and 18" between rows

Large plants like tomatoes are planted down the centre of a 4' wide raised bed, with a 1' path between each 4' bed. Broccoli, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, etc. are all planted in raised rows, about 1.5' wide and with 1.5' in between each row. Small items such as spinach, lettuce, onions, carrots, etc. are planted in 4' wide raised beds, but are planted the "short way", or 4' rows laid across the bed. These short rows are planted 18-24" apart, depending on the plant.

The key difference here is that with square foot gardening (or intensive) you can get alot more in the same amount of space. For instance, you get 4x as many onions in the same space with SFG. But, I will bet you that they probably 1/2 the size as the ones that are given the extra room. Additionally, with the method that I use (often termed "extensive-traditional") there is alot less irrigation required.

If you have the room try both methods. I'm sure you will find the system that works best for you.
stephen_albert
14 years ago
If you know the footprint of the plant at maturity you can intermix-interplant at will in a small raised bed. Just imagine the full grown plant--you will need this info to start and different varieties will have different footprints--a beefsteak indeterminate tomato will take more space that a patio-size cherry tomato. So if you can practice visualizing the garden at maturity you'll be able to grow one of this and two of that and one of this with little problem--just a bit of practice.

Here is a link that might be useful: HarvestToTable.com

Plant Spacing in raised beds?

Comments (6)

aloha10

ribbit32004

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